{18+ COMPLETE} For the past three years, Bren Hadaway has been preparing to die.
When he was sixteen, he watched his dad murder his mom. And ever since, he's been counting down the days until it was his turn to be at the end of a gun. And Bren has...
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Hats flew into the air. I never understood that tradition. It took at least five pins to get the damn hat to stay on my head, and now I was just supposed to toss it up into the air like it hadn't taken me all morning to figure it the fuck out?
Graduation hats were not actually meant to be on heads. I was convinced of that.
The letters H for Hadaway and L for Lenertz were just far enough away from each other that I got to spend my college graduation ceremony looking at the back of Bren's head. He was one row in front of me and three seats to the right. He had sat stoically, unmoving.
Bren hadn't talked about it much, but I knew this day meant a lot to him. Of course, it meant a lot to all of us. But Bren's fight with school went far beyond the struggles I had to finish up term papers and study for exams.
Today, though, not only was Bren Hadaway graduating with his Bachelor of Science in Sociology, he had also already gained admission to attend graduate school in San Jose. He wanted to be a high school counselor, and he was going to be damn good at it.
He liked to tell me that he wouldn't be here without me. And I did push his stubborn ass not to give up on more than one occasion. But I liked to tell him that I wouldn't even be alive without him.
God, Bren's nerves had been running wild for a few weeks now. Finals week nearly pushed him to the brink. And then, when he could finally relax about actually passing his classes, we had to get ready for graduation.
I'd been sick, too, which I knew only caused Bren more stress.
I debated telling him the truth. But I wasn't sure what his reaction would be. I didn't know if it would create even more anxiety for him during an already crazy time. So I kept it to myself. Even though it was killing me.
Excitement, anxiety, love—it all created an odd sort of stomach ache. Well, and the other thing. That caused a stomach ache, too.
Today. Today after the ceremony, I promised myself that I'd tell him.
Which was...now.
Shit, it was now.
Bren, all smiles and handsome everything, strode toward me purposefully. Within seconds, he'd reached me. His outstretched arms wound around my midsection before lifting me in the air. He spun me in a circle, inviting nausea back into my life. The same nausea that I'd been trying to swallow down throughout the entire ceremony.
He seemed to notice as soon as I touched the ground again.
"What's wrong?"
People streamed around us, most of them wearing blue-colored gowns and looking for their family and friends. Or their stupid hat.
Chaos flowed, and it was overwhelming, making me want to throw up the bagel I'd eaten this morning. But Bren was here. And he would ground me.
I met his gaze with a smile. "Nothing, of course. We did it! You did it! I'm so proud of you, baby."
